Paul Anka Biography, Photos and Posters

Paul Anka

Biography

Born: July 30, 1941
City and Country of Origin: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Music Training:
Awards: 2005 received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame; 1991 the Government of France honored him with the title "Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters;" 1980 elected to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame;
Top Recordings: "Diana," "You Are My Destiny," "Lonely Boy," "(All of A Sudden) My Heart Sings," "Put Your Head on My Shoulder," "Puppy Love," "Having My Baby," "Times of Your Life"
Paul Anka Biography: Paul Albert Anka, OC (born July 30, 1941, in Ottawa, Ontario) is a Canadian singer, songwriter and actor. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1990.

Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s, with hits songs like "Diana," "Lonely Boy," and "Put Your Head on my Shoulder." He went on to write such well-known music as the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Tom Jones' biggest hit, "She's A Lady", and the English lyrics for Frank Sinatra's signature song, "My Way."

Anka's parents, who owned a restaurant, were of Lebanese Christian descent. He sang with the St. Elijah Syrian Antiochian Orthodox Church choir under the direction of Frederick Karam, with whom he studied music theory. He also studied piano with Winnifred Rees.

Anka recorded his first single, "I Confess," at age 14. In 1957, he went to New York City where he auditioned for Don Costa at ABC, singing a lovestruck verse he had written to a former babysitter.[3] The song, "Diana", brought Anka instant stardom as it rocketed to number one on the charts.[4] "Diana" is one of the best selling 45s in music history.[5] He followed up with four songs that made it into the Top 20 in 1958,[6] making him, at 17, one of the biggest teen idols of the time. He toured Britain and then, with Buddy Holly, he toured Australia.

His talent went beyond singing, writing Buddy Holly's giant hit, "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (reworked in 1962 from a song Anka wrote earlier called "Toot Sweet," which had been rewritten with lyrics and recorded by Annette Funicello in 1959 as "It's Really Love"), Tom Jones' biggest hit record, "She's A Lady", and the English lyrics for "My Way," Frank Sinatra's signature song and sung by many well known artists, including Greta Keller and Elvis Presley, for whom the words were very fitting.

In the 1960s, Anka would begin acting in motion pictures as well as writing songs for them, most notably the theme for the hit movie The Longest Day. From his movie work, he wrote and recorded his monster hit, "Lonely Boy". He then went on to become one of the first pop singers to perform at the Las Vegas casinos. Anka returns to Canada several times a year, regularly playing to sold out crowds at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

After more than ten years without a hit record, in 1974, he teamed up with Odia Coates to record the number 1 hit, "Having My Baby." They would record two more duets that both made it into the Top 10. In 1975, he wrote a jingle for Kodak called "The Times of Your Life". The jingle became so popular, he recorded it as a full song, and it became a hit a year later.

By the 1970s, Anka's career centered around adult contemporary and big-band standards, played regularly in Las Vegas. On September 6, 1990, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He returned to his home town to buy a part of the Ottawa Senators hockey team. In 2005, his album Rock Swings, comprising big-band arrangements of contemporary standards, provided a mainstream comeback of sorts and saw Anka awarded a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto.

In 1999, he visited Lebanon for sell-out performances at the Forum de Beyrouth (The Beirut Forum).

He was married to Anne De Zogheb, the daughter of Lebanese diplomat Count Charles de Zogheb, from February 16, 1963, to September 28, 2000. Anka met De Zogheb in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1962. Of French and Egyptian descent, she was a fashion model on assignment and under contract to the Eileen Ford Agency. The couple married the following year in a ceremony at Orly Airport in Paris. De Zogheb quit modeling after they married. They have five daughters: Amelia, Anthea, Alicia, Amanda and Alexandra.

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